Where does “-icle” come from?
-icle (English) comes from English icicle, from English ickle, from English little, from Middle English litel, from Old English lȳtel, from Proto-West Germanic lūtil, from Proto-Germanic lūtilaz, from Proto-Germanic burgz.
-icle (English): icicle
Ancestry of “-icle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | icicle | A drooping, tapering shape of ice |
| 2 | English | ickle | An icicle; Little |
| 3 | English | little | Small in size; Insignificant, trivial; Very young |
| 4 | Middle English | litel | little |
| 5 | Old English | lȳtel | little |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | lūtil | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | lūtilaz | bent; tending to stoop; crouching; little |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | burgz | fortification, stronghold; city |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰr̥ǵʰ- | — |